


House of Healing

by prongsdeer



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel
Genre: Awkward Flirting, F/M, Fluff, Love at First Sight, Medieval Fantasy AU, Mild Blood, Monster Hunter AU, Monster Hunters, Mutual Pining, Sexual Tension, Sorcerers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 20:02:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15714117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prongsdeer/pseuds/prongsdeer
Summary: This is for a writing challenge on Tumblr (you can find me as marvelcapsicle). AU where Steve Rogers is a monster hunter; it also takes place in a mediveval fantasy world.





	House of Healing

A slight noise startled you from your sleep and your eyes shot open immediately, searching for the source of the sound. A few moments passed and you felt less disoriented, your pulse slowly going back to normal. The wooden shutters of the small window were open, letting a gentle breeze in and causing the long, heavy curtains to flutter. The full moon was shining brightly, lighting up the entire room.

A wolf howled somewhere in the distance, but otherwise, everything was silent. You let yourself drift back to sleep, but then you heard the noise again; this time louder, clearer, and you finally realized it came from the door. A sharp knock again and before you could even sit up, someone stormed into the room.

Wanda’s hair was dishevelled, the dark circles under her eyes indicating she woke up not long before you. She leaned above the bed while you pushed yourself up on your elbows, eyes already wide open. Good news never arrive so late. “Wanda? What is it?”

A small sigh left her lips. “You might want to see this.” Her voice was quiet, her brows furrowed in worry, and you _knew_. Cold fear trickled down the length of your spine, making you shiver in the warm summer night.

A moment later your bare feet hit the cool floor and you reached for your robes, but Wanda put a hand on your shoulder. “There’s no time. Just come.”

While you left the small bedroom, you grabbed a hooded cape from the chair to wrap it around your shoulder. You let Wanda to lead you down the spiral staircase, through the narrow, dark corridor, only lit by the small orb of light that your friend casted above her head. With every step you made you felt like you would never reach the ground floor, and at the same time, you were scared to death what you will see at the other side of the big oak doors.

Wanda pushed the doors open without touching them, only with a wave of her hand. The long room was dimly lit with a few candles flickering here and there on the nightstands.  Most of the beds were empty, and it wasn’t hard to find the one you came in for. A gatekeeper stood at the foot of the bed, clutching the helmet in his hand. Two healers with their back at you, blocking the view. Bucky paced up and down, but stopped when he spotted you.

You hurried closer, leaving your friend behind and pushing yourself between the two healers. Your heart leapt painfully at the sight of the man lying on the bed, covered in blood, deep scratches and bites across his chest.

“Steve?” you said quietly, trembling with fear as you tried to swallow back your sobs. His eyes were closed, lips slightly parted as a painful whimper shook his whole body. As you leaned down to push his hair back from his sweaty forehead, you felt the burning fever under your fingertips.

 “Help him,” the voice above you was firm, yet desperate and you looked up to meet Bucky’s worried eyes. “Please.”

_Six months earlier_

_The first thing Steve noticed after he woke up was something cold and soft, brushing gently against his forehead. Low chattering somewhere in the distance, young women’s quiet giggle. He felt something liquid, trickling down his temple and across his cheek, before a hand came to his face and wiped the water drop away. Finally, he opened his eyes but the bright light almost blinded him, sending a sharp wave of pain into his head. He quickly squeezed them shut, and felt as the hand on his cheek stopped, before it left his skin. He tried again, slowly this time. His blurry vision cleared soon, and Steve saw a woman, leaning above him with the sweetest, kindest smile._

_Great, he thought to himself, and the corner of his mouth twitched into a tiny smile. After long years of painful and exhausting hunting he could finally get some rest with an angel taking care of him._

_“Am I dead?” the words came out barely more as hoarse whisper, his mouth dry so he licked his lips. It didn’t help much._

_“No,” you chuckled, but kept your voice low while you talked to him. You pulled the wet, cold washcloth away from his forehead, and stayed sitting at the edge of his bed. It was the first time you saw his eyes, though they were barely open. They were warm, beautiful blue like the sky in a bright summer day. “But I understand if you feel like you are. You had some very serious injuries. When your friend brought you in I wasn’t sure you would make it through the night. That was three days ago. You heal very fast.”_

_Steve smiled weakly, then, as he realized what you just said, he almost jumped out of the bed. He immediately regretted his decision and groaned in pain, putting his hand on his aching side. “Bucky,” he said through gritted teeth. “Is he—is he alright?”_

_“He is fine,” you hushed him, carefully pushing him back by his shoulders. “Don’t worry.” Only when he was lying still again, making sure he won’t get up again, you lifted your hands off him. “He only had a few scratches,” you nodded towards the other side of the room and Steve followed your gaze, seeing Bucky sitting at the edge of a bed with two young women. “He keeps my apprentices very busy.”_

_Steve closed his eyes and sighed, with both relief and slight shame he always felt when his best friend made a fool of him. “I’m very sorry.”_

_“What for?”_

_“I’m sure he said something at least mildly inappropriate to you.”_

_His head ached terribly at every sound that was even just a little louder than a whisper, but he decided that hearing your laugh was worth it. “He didn’t have a chance,” you said, standing up from his bed to step closer to the nightstand. “I was too busy trying to save your life, so he left me alone. He is funny though. Tells a lot of jokes to the kids.”_

_Steve watched as you poured something into a goblet before you gave it to him. He took a sip, but immediately spit it out._

_A loud sigh passed your lips and you took the goblet from his hand, while Steve frowned in disgust. “I thought you gave me water.”_

_While he wiped his mouth with his hand, you walked to the back of the room and opened a drawer, filled with many different herbs. Quickly choosing the one you were looking for, you dropped the lemon balm leaves into a small bowl, poured some water to it, and crushed them while you returned to Steve. His friend was there now, sitting where you sat a few minutes ago. He told him what happened in the past couple days and how they got into the fort where you healed him. Steve didn’t need to ask which fort Bucky was talking about. It was open to everyone, yet they said it was the safest place in the world. The central home of sorcerers and sorceress, healers and scholars; an institution where they trained and lived, temporarily or permanently. Steve was thankful you healed him—he just wasn’t sure he liked the method of it. Most people were still against magic, mainly out of fear, even if they would never admit it. They didn’t understand how it worked, and it was easier to despise it._

_The two young apprentices stood at the foot of the bed, whispering something into each other’s ears and giggling quietly, but they fell silent when you shot a stern look at them. You added the leaves to the goblet to reduce the bitter taste of the mix of herbs and other ingredients. Steve drank again, more carefully this time, and though he still frowned, he forced the potion down._

_“Better?”_

_“Not really,” he admitted._

_Bucky playfully punched Steve’s shoulder, but looked at you. “So when will I get back my partner in crime?”_

_“Not any time soon,” as the words left your lips, you saw the disappointment on both of their face. “He needs proper treatment and medications. And he has to rest for at least a week.”_

_Steve carefully fought himself up in a sitting position with Bucky’s help, but still groaned painfully in the process. “But we have this job and—“_

_“Don’t even think about it,” you said sharply. “I highly doubt you could even stand up right now. Monsters can wait. Now lie back down.”_

_Steve didn’t want to lie back down. He wanted to leave the fort and get back to work, but he wasn’t so stupid as not to realize what you said was true. His head was aching and spinning, his ears buzzing and ringing. With a defeated sigh, he sank back down in the bed._

_“Don’t worry,” Bucky said reassuringly. “I’ll take care of it by myself. It’s just a ghoul.”_

_The two students gasped loudly in amazement with their hands over their hearts, and one of them shifted closer to put her palm on Bucky’s upper arm. “You are so brave!”_

_While Steve smiled, but shook his head and regretted the movement quickly, you rolled your eyes. “Girls? Haven’t I already gave you something to do?”_

_They sighed and growled, but walked away after your little warning. With arms crossed over your chest, you looked at Bucky, who raised his hands defensively. “What? I haven’t done anything.”_

_“You can leave if you want to, but Steve needs to stay,” you said while you stepped closer to Steve. Only now he realized you didn't wear canary coloured robes like the other healers, but a darker blue one. “You have concussion, you broke an ankle, a few ribs, and your wrist, too.”_

_With a frown, Steve carefully rotated both of his wrist. The left one hurt, but knowing well how it feels to have a broken bone, he knew it wasn’t so bad. He shifted uncomfortably on the linen sheets and cleared his throat. “How did you heal me so quickly?”_

_“I’m a healer,” you said matter-of-factly._

_“You say… did you… you used magic?”_

_“How do you think I healed all those broken bones? With sunshine and kisses?”_

_Bucky grinned at Steve, then up at you. “I bet he would’ve like that.”_

_“Bucky,” Steve breathed out weakly with closed eyes, while his friend still smiled._

_Again, you ignored his remark and asked him to stand up, only to sit down at the edge of Steve’s bed. “Hold still,” you said quietly but firmly, gently placing your hand on his cheek with your index and middle finger on his temple. A cold shiver ran down his spine, immediately followed by a warm wave of heat through his whole body. He felt his pulse quickening, and he was so focused on your closeness, your skin against his, that he almost missed that you were murmuring something under your breath._

_When you noticed the flush of pink that flooded his cheeks, ears turned red, you nearly broke the spell with a laugh, but you took a deep breath and stayed focused. Steve felt tingling where your fingers touched his temple, the buzzing slowly leaving his head._

_“Do you feel better?” you asked after you finished, leaning back._

_Steve could only nod in answer, still a little stunned._

_With a smile, you stood up and turned to Bucky. “Let your friend rest soon. I’ll come back later to check on you and don’t even think about sneaking out. Your shield and your sword is locked away,” you said, making Steve smiling. “I’ll be in the library, but you can call for me if you need me. I’m Y/N.”_

_You already turned to leave when Steve cleared his throat. “I’m—I’m Steve.”_

_Bucky turned to the window to muffle his laughter, while you stopped and spun around with a smile. “I know.”_

Now

Your hands were shaking almost uncontrollably while you tried to pick the right vials and herbs off the shelves, collecting them in a small box. Wanda watched you with a worried frown.

“Are you sure I can do this?” she asked as you dropped all the ingredients in front of her on a table.

You nodded, placing your hands on her shoulder. “Of course. I trust you.”

Some potions could be easily made without magic, using only a few common herbs and a splash of water. The one that prevented the infected from becoming a werewolf after they were bitten by one obviously wasn’t one of them. Knowing Wanda was powerful enough to do it, even though she wasn’t in the fort for so long, you trusted her to do it. You were needed elsewhere.

Wanda quickly started making the potion while you hurried back to Steve, sending everyone away to let you concentrate—everyone except Bucky. You doubted he would leave anyway.

With a help of a knife, you cut his already ruined suit off his chest, and hissed up at the sight of his wounds once again. You’ve seen injuries like those before, even some worse, but mostly on strangers. Steve was very far from a stranger, and in that moment, it had its disadvantages.

“Let me do it,” a healer stepped to you, noticing your shaking hand. While you heard that someone was talking, you showed no sign of that you did and continued to do your job without stopping.

As much as you could, you cleaned his heavily bleeding wounds out, constantly talking to him with a trembling voice but getting only painful groans and whimpers in answer. The venom in Steve’s bloodstream worked quickly, and you knew you didn’t have much time left.

The bleeding didn’t seem to stop so you put the bowl of water away and placed both of your hands on his chest. A half dozen of different spell and none of them worked. If these wounds were caused by a sword, you could easily heal them, but they were caused by a monster. You kept trying anyway, over and over again with different incantations, until you finally saw as his wounds slowly started to close. After a sigh of relief, you continued with the right spell.

When Wanda arrived with the potion, you stopped immediately, knowing he would never completely heal while the venom is still inside him.

“Shouldn’t we test it first?” Wanda asked after you snatched the small bowl out of her hands. Looking into it, the liquid seemed and smelled perfect.

“We have no time for that.”

Carefully, you put your hand underneath Steve’s head and lifted it, placing the bowl to his lips. His eyes were still closed, but you felt as his hand found yours, lacing his fingers with yours. His hold was so weak it made your heart ache, knowing he must be in a terrible pain.

Slowly, you poured the potion down his throat, as much of it as you could, before returned back to murmuring spells over his wounds. It went on for so long you lost track of time and all the magic weakened you, but whenever someone tried to help, you sent them away.

First, he stopped shaking. Minutes later, you didn’t feel like his skin was burning—at least not as much as before. The bleeding stopped, though you couldn’t completely close his wounds. His rapid heartbeat slowed down, his breathing became more even. You knew he felt better, but you didn’t want to let him sleep yet, not until you heard a few words from him and made sure he is going to make it through the night.

“Steve,” you said quietly, your voice tired and raspy. “Please say something.”

His feather-light grasp on your hand made your heart skipping a beat, and when he finally opened his eyes, you couldn’t hold back your tears anymore. Your head dropped on his shoulder.

“Don’t cry,” Steve said weakly, barely more than a whisper. “You’ve done amazingly. Do you hear me, sweetheart?” he brushed his thumb across the back of your hand while you stayed still, just enjoying to hear his voice. “You saved me. _Again_.”

With a quiet chuckle, you sat up and wiped the tears off your cheeks. He had the weakest smile on his lips, and looked like he could barely keep his eyes open anymore. You gave him a potion that would help him to sleep through the night without nightmares, and a few moments later, he already fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Bucky dozed off in the chair close to Steve’s bed a few minutes ago so you woke him up; you knew he’d like to know what happened. After you told him his friend is going to be fine, you sent him to choose a bed and take some rest. He told you the same, but you were sure you couldn’t. Despite of you knew the spells and potions worked, you were still nervous, scared for him. Only leaving the room to change into clean robes and to wash the blood off your hands, you quickly returned. You pulled a chair close to Steve’s bed. The first pale rays of the sun creeped through the window when you finally fell asleep.

_Six months earlier_

_It was an unusually quiet week. Only a dozen beds were occupied, mostly by people who needed a longer treatment. No one new arrived, nothing extraordinary happened. On days like these, usually you took the advantage and spent as much time alone and with some rest as you could. Now, however, Steve had the privilege to enjoy your full attention._

_A day after he woke up, you showed him the library. He couldn’t walk by himself just yet, his legs still weak and his ankle aching, but you linked your arm with his and helped him as much as you could. Steve was amazed by its size—he heard stories, but he never expected it to be so huge. The patients were only allowed to use the first floor; above that, people who didn’t train and lived in the fort could only gain admittance if the Arch Sorcerer let them. Steve’s legs hurt too much to wander around for long, so you returned soon to the hospital ward. He didn’t say it, but he was suffering of boredom; he hated when he couldn’t do anything useful._

_The next day passed pretty much the same as the first. A little walk in the morning and some more early in the afternoon. He still slept a lot, because it was the only way to bear the headache._

_On the third day, when you left your room early and walked to the long ward, you found Steve sitting on a kid’s bed with a spare piece of parchment and a small charcoal. The little boy watched in amazement as Steve was drawing all those magical creatures he saw._

_“He had a nightmare,” Steve explained himself later while he wiped the soot off his hands. It seemed he felt a lot better already._

_“So you decided to draw monsters for him?”_

_Steve frowned, realizing maybe it wasn’t his best idea. “Dragons are actually a lot friendlier than people know. You just have to know how to approach them.”_

_You shook your head with a smile and pulled a chair closer to sit down, while he took a seat at the edge of his bed. This time he didn’t need any help to take his shirt off like on the previous days, though he still took it slow and hissed up in pain in the process. His skin was still heavily bruised and swollen where his ribs broke, but it didn’t look as bad as the day Bucky brought him in._

_Steve held his breath back as you carefully traced your fingers down his sternum, below his pectorals, and all along his reddened left side. He felt as your touch made goosebumps prickle across his skin, but he knew you didn’t use magic yet._

_“It will hurt a little,” you told him, but Steve felt like his heart was beating in his throat as it drummed so loud in his ears, and he missed your words. Only when you pressed your fingers against his aching side, he groaned suddenly and grasped your hand tightly in surprise._

_“I told you,” you looked up at him with a smile. Steve muttered a sorry under his breath but you shook your head, before placed your palm back on him. “You can take my hand if you want to,” you added when you felt his skin leaving yours, and you didn’t need to tell him twice. He held it again, gently this time, with his thumb barely brushing against the back of your hand. When he felt your fingers pressing against his ribs again he tightened his grip, but not as much as before. His grasp stayed gentle, careful to not to hurt you._

_He felt much better in the next two days. Your spells healed his bones completely and he didn’t feel dizzy anymore—only his head ached with a blunt pain and his ribs when he leaned down._

_“Can I ask you something?” Steve asked while you slowly walked back to the hospital ward, right after an old scholar kicked you out of the library when he noticed you brought a stranger to the restricted section. You gave him a nod. “I noticed the other healers wear yellow robes, but you don't.”_

_“That’s because I’m not a healer.” Seeing the confused look on Steve’s face, you quickly added. “I mean, not really—that’s complicated.”_

_Steve stopped as you reached the corridor that led to the courtyard; it was bright with big, open windows. His golden hair shined in the sunlight; the gentle breeze playing with his locks. “I’ll try to understand,” he smiled._

_After a deep breath, you sat down on the bench under the window. You told him that your parents were both scholars so you practically grew up here, that you trained as a sorceress and while you were great at it, you’ve always wanted to leave. That you spent years out in the wilderness, hunting monster, just like him. It surprised him, but kept listening you carefully. You told him how shocking it was to see all the sick and injured people all around the little villages with absolutely no help, and how you realized you wanted to do something about it._

_“So I came back,” you said. “I came back to learn and I’m here ever since then.”_

_Steve watched you silently for long moments. “Don’t you miss it? Being outside,” he asked then, because he knew well how it felt to be away from the wilderness for too long. The way he lived his life was dangerous, but he could never imagine himself sitting tight between four walls._

_“I do, actually. I really do,” you said, maybe with a little more sadness in your tone than you intended to._

_“Why don’t you leave?” Steve asked, slipping closer to you on the bench. “You could go from villages to villages. You could help more out there than here.”_

_You heaved a sigh. “I don’t know. It’s not so easy to going back once you settled down.”_

_“That’s why you should go. You will regret it if you stuck here. The longer you stay the harder will be to leave.”_

_“You sound like you’re talking from experience.”_

_He let out a small laugh, shaking his head. “No, not really. As long as I can remember I’ve been doing this.” He stared his feet for a few seconds, before looked at you again. His voice dropped. “Maybe I’m just trying to convince you to come with me.”_

_Your heart gave an excited leap and as your eyes widened, you saw him blushing. “I mean—if you want to. If you decide you’d like to leave… you could come with me.”_

_While you couldn’t refrain a smile at his tempting offer, you tried to use your right mind. “I’d love to,” you breathed out. “But, Steve. It’s my home. And I’m doing a research here…”_

_“Of course,” Steve nodded hastily. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—just forget I said anything.”_

_While he nervously avoided your eyes, you let out a sigh and bit down your lower lip before you would say anything that you might regret later. You wanted to go with him; every inch of your body screamed that you should go for it, but you saw that maybe it wouldn’t be the greatest idea. You still barely knew each other._

_On the sixth morning, another healer told Steve he was free to leave, but you insisted on he should stay one more night, just in case. The other healer gave you a knowing look while she left, though you tried to avoid her eyes, just as Steve’s. You didn’t know what one more day could change, and you felt yourself selfish for keeping him in longer than it was necessary._

_If it bothered Steve, he didn’t show it. It wasn’t like when you told him he need to stay for a week after he woke up; back then, he looked disappointed and a little lost. Now, he smiled. Maybe he knew very well what you were up to._

_Later, you showed him around the courtyard. It overflowed with flowers and shrubs, different trees and all kinds of ingredients you needed for potions and other medications. There was one tree that caught Steve’s eyes; the one he saw at the back of the garden behind the fort (which, he realized now, looked more like a castle from outside with its long towers). Though the tree was only twice as tall as Steve, it looked impressive with its white crust and spreading canopy of branches, with more fluffy pink flowers he could ever count._

_“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” you asked, reaching up to pluck a flower off the tree._

_“I’ve never seen anything like this before.”_

_You gave him the blossom so he could smell it; it was sweeter than he thought it would be. “It was the favourite tree of the founder’s wife. She was an elf,” you started. “She really missed it so while they finished building the fort, the founder went to her homeland and came back with a sapling. I’m not sure if it’s true though, this building is five thousand years old.”_

_“Never heard this story.”_

_“You haven’t? A lot of visitors come just because of the tree. They think if they bring a flower to their lover their love will last forever,” you rolled your eyes. “That’s definitely not true, but it’s nice to see how many people believe in it.”_

_Steve smiled sweetly and stepped closer, gently ran his fingers through your hair, and put the flower behind your ear. You felt heat flood your cheeks and you bowed your head, biting the inside of your cheeks to try to hide the grin that formed on your lips. When you looked up at him again, he had a longing, loving look in his baby blue eyes. Somehow, his gaze made you remember that soon, you have to say goodbye to him._

_“If you sleep well tonight and your head won’t hurt, you can leave tomorrow,” you said quietly, feeling a lump forming in your throat._

_“I think I should,” Steve sighed. “I’m actually surprised Bucky hasn’t tried to get me out of here yet.” He easily realized your tiny smile didn’t reach your eyes. “You don’t seem happy.”_

_You slowly shook your head from side to side, avoiding his eyes while you had a mental argument with yourself about whether if you should tell him the truth or not. When your gaze met with his, you found yourself unable to lie._

_“Am I being selfish for wishing you would stay?”_

_Steve smiled sadly. “No more than I am for wishing you would come with me.”_

_You spent long hours in the courtyard; walking and talking, sitting on the bench under the tree and watching the stars after the sun set down behind the mountains. Neither of you wanted the night to end, and it was very late when you walked back to the fort._

_When the next day came and you walked down from your room, you found Steve’s bed empty. Your heart jolted painfully, thinking that he already left, but Wanda told you he was waiting outside. It was still early in the morning, and the fort was even more silent than usual._

_Steve sat on a bench in the courtyard, but quickly stood up when he saw you were coming. He was wearing his dark suit, shield on his back and a sword hanging from his hip._

_“Are you in a hurry?” you couldn’t hide the bitterness in your voice._

_“I’m not good at goodbyes,” Steve said, taking your hand to press a kiss on the back of it. “Thank you for everything.”_

_Silently, you watched your hand as he kept it between both of his. After a long sigh, you looked up at him. “Will you come back to me?”_

_“As soon as I can,” he replied immediately. You smiled back at him, he kissed your forehead, and left before he could change his mind and stayed._

Now

The next couple days were critical for Steve. His body burned with fever and he was in pain; only the sleeping potion could give him some relief. He was never awake for more than a few minutes, but you hardly left his side; you even slept in the bed next to his in the ward, instead of your own room.

Nearly a week passed before he could first stay awake without being in unbearable pain. Steve’s eyes were tired, sleepy; he looked exactly like someone who just slept through the past few days, but he smiled when you sat down at the edge of his bed. He lifted himself up in a half-sitting position, before you took his bandages off.

“How do you feel?”

“Better,” he answered simply, and couldn’t take his eyes off you.

“You look better,” you smiled at him while you cleaned him up. A strand of your hair fell forward over your face and he reached up, tucking it back behind your ear. “You scared me to death,” the words came out barely more than a whisper and he grasped your free hand, stroking it gently.

“I’m sorry,” his voice was still weak. “Next time I’ll try to be more careful.”

You opened your mouth to say something, but quickly closed it again, biting down your bottom lip. Steve frowned, but didn’t say anything. He watched while you dried his chest with a towel, and tried to swallow back a groan when you rubbed the herbs and ointment into his wounds.

“You should be,” you said, making him to look into your eyes. “But next time I’ll be with you so you don’t have to ride all the way up here.”

Steve froze first; his lips parted and he couldn’t even breathe. Then he leaned closer, forgetting about the pain for a second. “Are you serious?”

“We clearly can’t do this anymore,” you shook your head, pushing him back on the sheets. “You come here sometimes, but you never stay for more than a day. Sometimes all we get is just an hour or two. And even so, the Arch Sorcerer keeps reminding me that this is not a tavern whenever he sees you.”

“He just doesn’t like me.”

“Are you surprised?” you chuckled while started to bandage him up again. “You tried to climb up into my room.”

“I didn’t want to…”

You arched an eyebrow. “Sneak into my room?”

“No. Getting caught.”

You laughed, shaking your head. Unfortunately, you only heard the story on the next morning; though Steve really tried to climb up into your room one night, he wasn’t sure which one was yours. While he tried to find it, someone spotted him trying to break in. You would have loved to see his face while he fled.

“Do you really want to come with me?”

“Yes,” you smiled, shifting closer. “Of course! I haven’t even seen you in the past two months. I didn’t even get a letter from you. I missed you so much.”

Steve closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. “I’m sorry. I just… I wasn’t sure we should do this anymore.”

You stopped. “What are you talking about?”

“I knew sooner or later you’d leave this place and come with me. And I wasn’t so sure anymore that would be the best idea. It’s a tough way to live. I want you to be safe.”

“It was your idea in the first place,” you reminded him. “What changed since then?”

Steve shrugged. “I don’t know. I fell in love with you.”

You felt your pulse quickening because this was the first time he said it, but you heaved a sigh, leaning back to finish his bandages. “So you don’t want to me to go with you anymore?”

“I want you to come with me,” Steve replied quietly, lifting your chin with his fingertips. “I’m just afraid.”

“I’m scared for you all the time, too,” you smiled. “I guess we’ll have to look out for each other, then.”

Steve smiled. His hand shifted from your chin to the back of your neck, his thumb running across your cheekbone. He stopped when he was close enough so his beard brushed against your face and you felt his warm breath on your cheek. He glanced up from your lips to your eyes one more time before he kissed you, slowly and tenderly. He wrapped his other arm around you, pulling you to him, but he broke the kiss with a groan when you were pressed against his wounded chest.

“Easy,” you let out a breathy chuckle, but Steve only smiled, before pressed a soft kiss on your lips again.

 


End file.
